5 Coolest DIY Projects From Detroit Maker Faire 2011

Everybody's favorite celebration of nerdy DIY joy rolled into Dearborn, Mich., last weekend for the second annual Maker Faire Detroit. This year's event added steam-power exhibits and street performers, but the star of the show remained big ideas and clever thinking. These are our favorite projects from the Detroit Faire.

Gon Kirin

Gon Kirin

Without a doubt, one of the main attractions at the Motor City's Maker Faire was Gon Kirin, a tremendous mechanical creation by Ryan Doyle and Teddy Low. It was built on the bones of a 1963 International Harvester Travelall and destined for a trip to the Burning Man Festival. The machine is a compilation of found objects and materials that its creators kluged together at the artists' lofts that occupy the massive Russell Industrial Center. It breaths fire, waves its spiked tail and strikes fear and awe in all who see it.

Low-Altitude Wind Turbine

Low-Altitude Wind Turbine

Detroit artist and metalworker Carlos Nielbock debuted the Low Altitude Wind Turbine, a beautifully crafted all-metal wind turbine designed to be as much a kinetic sculpture as a power source. It's been under construction for a few months just outside downtown Detroit.